Image by Vicki Hamilton from Pixabay

ECO – CHALLENGES in JUNE 2026

An Event for Animal Protection

“Timmy the Humpback Whale”

From March 23 until mid-May 2026, a young whale was stranded near an island in Germany in the Baltic Sea. People around the world followed the rescue efforts in which Timmy was guided from the sandbank into deeper water so that he could find his own way back to the ocean. Several times, however, he became stranded again in the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea, where he could not free himself on his own. Finally, an animal protection initiative covered the costs and transportation to move him to the North Sea. But the whale was sick and weakened, and he was eventually found dead off the coast of Denmark.

The animal welfare workers said that they were sad that Timmy was no longer alive, but that they would do the same thing again.

How did the humpback whale end up in this situation?
Why did he swim from the Atlantic Ocean into the Baltic Sea? He had become entangled in a fishing net in the sea. Several fishing nets were wrapped around his body, which weakened him. Part of the net was still stuck in his mouth and caused him great difficulty.

Animal Protection:

For whales and other large fish to have more peace and food, the oceans must be better protected. This requires large protected areas without ships and fishing activities.

We can also help protect the environment and the oceans by producing less plastic waste, which often ends up in the sea; by eating less fish; and by reusing items such as clothing, because then fewer goods need to be transported across the oceans in large shipping containers.

Every year, around 300,000 whales and dolphins die because of so-called bycatch. They suffer and die after becoming trapped in fishing nets and fishing equipment and eventually suffocating. In addition, another 20,000 whales die each year due to collisions with ships. The organization Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) is working intensively to end this bycatch.

A Question for Us:

What can we, as CDP Sisters, do to help protect the animals in the oceans?

Trinity Sunday, 2026

Dear Sisters and Associates,

Happy Trinity Sunday!  As I began thinking of this letter, I hunted for an appropriate quote from one of our Founders.  I didn’t find a direct quote but did find a section where Ketteler reminds us that as God is a communion of love, so too are we called to shape our communities in love.

As we gather our hearts in celebration of Trinity Sunday, we are drawn into the profound Mystery at the very center of our faith:  the living communion of love that is God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The Trinity is not a doctrine easily understood, but a relationship to be entered, encountered, a dynamic life-giving community into which we are continually invited.

When I think of the Trinity, I think of a God we encounter who is not solitary, but relational—Three in One, perfectly united in love, mutual self-giving, and communion.  This divine relationship becomes our blueprint for how we are to be.  Created in this image of the Triune God, we are made for community.  Our lives, especially as women and men of Providence, are to reflect this sacred pattern of connection, where each of us is valued, each voice is heard, and love is both given and received freely.  Isn’t that what we have been expressing in our desires and conversations during our International and National meetings—relationship building. 

Providence is that living expression of Trinitarian love.  The God who creates, redeems, and sustains us is actively at work in our world and in our lives, weaving us together in ways often unseen but deeply real.  We have been and are trusting that even in moments and times of uncertainty or change, the presence of this Triune God of Providence continues to guide us, inviting us into deeper relationship—with God, with one another, and with all of creation, as our Chapter 2022 Directional Statement reflects.  We have such a tapestry of diversity and gifts among us.

Just as Bishop Ketteler reminds us of that beautiful vision, we also hear his call that our communities are to mirror the very life of the Trinity.  We are to be living expressions of that divine communion, where love is not abstract but embodied in our care, our justice, and our fidelity to one another.  I like to think it is the pattern written right into our very DNA.  Ketteler also reminds us of God’s steadfast care in the world: ”Divine Providence gently leads us often by paths we do not know, yet always toward the good.”  (paraphrased)  This trust in Providence is part of our charism and is at the heart of our vocation.  Even when there are unknowns, we know God will show us the way and draw us ever more deeply into communion and mission.  In our patience, our listening, our willingness to remain present to one another we are reflecting this Trinity mystery in simple and profound ways. 

Trinity Sunday offers us the opportunity to renew our commitment as Providence people to this way of living.  It calls us to be tangible signs of God’s love in a world that longs for connections and hope.  As Sisters and Associates, and Amici Cordis, may our lives continue to witness to the beauty of unity in diversity and the strength that comes from walking this Holy Adventure together in faith. 

My wish for you is that the Triune God bless you abundantly—surround you with love, sustain you with hope and draw you ever more deeply into the sacred communion that is both our home and our mission. 

May all of us be a reflection of that Triune love in the world today.

With grateful love,

Sister Barbara McMullen, Congregational Leader

LAUDATO SI WEEK, MAY 19 – 26, 2026

Laudato Sí Week 2026 invites us to move from hope to action.  Hope is not passive; it is lived and shared through daily choices, community life, prayer, and concrete acts of care.  This year reminds us that ecological conversion grows step by step—through relationships restored, creation protected, and communities strengthened.

PRAYER:

 Despite our sins and the daunting challenges before us, we never lose heart.  “The Creator does not abandon us; he never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us... for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward.” (Laudato Si’, 13; 245). In a particular way, let us pray ... “O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, who are so precious in your eyes... God of love, show us our place in this world as channels of your love for all the creatures of this earth” Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING AND PRAYER

And God said, “let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters. And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. (Genesis 1:6-8) Bless the Lord, all powers, sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever. Bless the Lord, sun and moon, sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

Bless the Lord, stars of heaven, sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever. Bless the Lord, rain and dew, sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever. Bless the Lord, all winds, sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.   (Prayer of Azariah and his Companions, Daniel 3:61-65)

CHALLENGE:

• Pray deeply
• Reflect honestly
• Act concretelyin performing an act of care

Discernment Days for the Future Congregational Leadership were held via Zoom from May 6–8, 2026.

These days provided an opportunity for each person invited into the discernment process for leadership to reflect deeply on her personal call and on the movement of the Holy Spirit during this time. From the perspective of the congregation as a whole, the current leadership also shared their experiences regarding the congregation’s mission, charism, spirituality, and vision, as well as the importance of relationship-building within the leadership team, ways of communication, the various personal qualities needed for leadership, and other significant issues connected to leadership ministry.

Through this experience, the participants were invited not only to discern their personal call, but also to reflect more deeply on the meaning and responsibility of leadership ministry within the congregation, while sharing this journey together.

Issue, 4.2

Blessings in this Easter Season

Thank you to all who sent Easter cards and wishes to us.  We are very grateful for your kindness and thoughtfulness.  We prayed for you as we celebrated the beautiful Easter Triduum rituals.  May the Risen Lord continue to bless all of us on our Holy Adventure.

Invitation Process for Leadership

So many things have happened since the last Generalate Update!  We began and completed the Invitation to Leadership Process.  We are so grateful for all those Sisters who have decided to leave their names in and participate in the Discernment Days in May.  Please pray for those Sisters whose names you received in a letter from me. 

Delegate Meetings

We designed a four-part series of meetings for our delegates to the Congregational Chapter and have completed two of them.  These meetings were designed to give the delegates the opportunity to build relationships among themselves before arriving for the Chapter.  The sharing has been rich and we are looking forward to the final two meetings where they will discuss some Chapter materials.

Reflection Day

On March 13^th we had the first of our Retreat Experiences for the whole Congregation and had wonderful participation from the Provinces and Mission.  Sr. Marie McCarthy SP from St.-Mary-of-the Woods, Indiana was the first presenter, who spoke about our Providence charism.  She challenged us to be “architects of hope” and act with courage, bold imagination, and perseverance.  Our next “retreat/ reflection time” will be June 8^th with Sr. Sophia Park, SNJM.

Exciting News

The Intercultural Visioning Ministry Commission has been hard at work in fulfilling one of their goals.  They designed and initiated a very thorough process of seeking candidates for the new intercultural ministry in Rome.  They sent out an application form to any Sister interested in applying.  They interviewed each candidate individually, evaluated them on many levels and recommended to the CLT that there be an opportunity to have an on-site experience of the intercultural ministry and community life in Rome for one month.   This will take place after the Congregational Chapter in the Fall.  The participants are:  from the Korean Province – Sr. Hyang-Soon Theresa Kim, from the Peru Mission – Sr. Guillermina Nieto Fernández, and from the US Province – Srs. Maria Torres Melendez and Nélida Naveros Córdova.

These Sisters will have an Orientation between now and August, begin studying Italian on their own, have the on-site experience and then have a self-evaluation to determine if they want to continue.  The Commission will also be a part of that evaluation.  Hopefully in the new year of 2027 the Intercultural Mission in Rome will begin!  We owe a big thank you to this Commission for all the time, effort, and thought that they gave to this entire process and for their willingness to continue their work after the Chapter to bring it to the next stages. 

The Pre-Chapter Commission

This group of Sisters met once and will meet again on April 27 to continue planning the Chapter agenda, schedule, and assigning Sisters for other tasks related to the Chapter.  We are grateful for all their work, as there are many details in the preparations.  They will also be planning our 175^th Anniversary celebration as a Congregation during the Chapter.

National Meetings

These meetings took place during the month of April.  Each group meeting began with the PowerPoint video based on the presentation given by Sr. Simone Brambilla MC on religious life today.  The sharing was wonderfully rich and an Integrated Summary will be prepared to share with everyone soon.  

Commissions

Each of the Commissions has continued to meet and work to fulfill the tasks given them from the last Congregational Chapter.  As noted previously, the Intercultural Visioning Ministry Commission is now working on what will be in the Orientation for those Sister Participants in Rome.  The Intercultural Growth Commission has continued the small group meetings and now have added new groups, so building relationships across the Provinces continues to happen.  The Constitutions Commission has been sending us timelines and various drafts of possible models for discussion.  As always, it is seeking your input and hoping for some lively discussions among the delegates.  Be sure that you let your delegates know what you are thinking!  The Laudato Sí Commission continues to challenge us each month to live out our Chapter Directional statement regarding the care of creation.  They invite us to do what we can in our part of the world to care for planet Earth and to challenge others to strengthen environmental priorities. 

Communications

As you know, there are many communications coming to you in various forms.  The latest issue of Global Connections was sent out earlier this month.  Information about the Invitation Process and its results have been sent and after the Discernment Days we will send a list of the final Invitees for Congregational Leadership.  There will be one more “retreat/reflection” experience on June 8^th, so look for the zoom link and think about participating in this two-hour graced time.  The Congregational Leadership Board will meet on June 11^th and this meeting is for the all the Provincial Leadership Teams, not simply the Provincials. 

Conclusion

As you can see and know from all the communications you have already received, there are many tasks to be done, meetings to plan, and Chapter preparations to attend to, as well as our own day-to-day responsibilities here in the house.  May our Provident God continue to lead us on our Holy Adventure together as we strive to become “Architects of Hope” in a wounded world. 

Sister Barbara

“At the Generalate, we marked Earth Day by gathering with the ladies from St. Francis Parish for a prayer in the backyard, followed by the planting of a Cercis chinensis tree.”

Go to: 

https://www.globalsistersreport.org/environment/ecovillage-sustainable-housing-finds-place-build-pittsburgh-sisters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI5I5g0M9sc

Digging Down Deep for Hope

Easter, 2026

Dear Sisters and Associates,

I came across a quote the other day and thought it was definitely worth sharing with you.  In a world that often searches for certainty through arguments and evidence, the Jewish theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel once wrote, “There are no proofs for the existence of God.  There are only witnesses.”  His words ring with particular clarity for us Providence people.  Our vocation is not to win debates or to offer tidy explanations of mystery.  Our call is far more beautiful – and far more demanding.  We are called to be witnesses.

We have encountered the living God.  We have known the tenderness of Providence guiding our steps, sometimes through bright days and sometimes through valleys.  Yet, we have felt the quiet strength of Christ beside us.  Faith, for us, is not an abstract idea; it is a relationship.  It is the steady assurance that Providence is present, active, and trustworthy.  And from that assurance springs joy.

This joy is not naïve optimism or a denial of suffering.  It is the deep joy that comes from knowing we are held by God.  It is the joy that rises even in the midst of challenge because we trust that Providence is at work beyond what we can see.  It is the joy that first burst forth from the empty tomb and continues to echo through history:  Christ is alive!  Love has triumphed! Sing out Alleluia!

As Sisters and Associates of Divine Providence, our lives themselves become proclamation. When we forgive, we witness.  When we stand with those who are poor or marginalized, we witness.  When we choose hope over despair, compassion over indifference, courage over fear, we proclaim the transformative power of faith in Jesus Christ.  Through our fidelity, our service, our prayer, and our communal life, we say to the world:  God is real.  God is near.  God is love.

The question before us is simple and profound: How do we give witness to what we have seen and heard?  We do so by allowing God’s presence to shape our attitudes, our words, and our actions.  We do so by speaking openly of the hope that sustains us.  We do so by living with integrity, so that others glimpse in us something more than ourselves.  Our very lives become an invitation – an open door through which others may encounter the God we know and love.

In every place we minister, in community gatherings, and in quiet moments of daily encounter, we carry the light of Christ.  We do not need to prove God’s existence.  We simply need to reflect God’s presence.  A listening heart, a generous spirit, a faithful commitment to justice and mercy – these are the living testimonies that make faith credible.  These are the very things that Bishop Ketteler and Mother Marie passed on to us.

May we never underestimate the power of our witness.  A single life lived with conviction can awaken faith in another.  A community radiant with joy can renew a weary world.  Providence has entrusted this holy responsibility to us – not because we are perfect, but because we are willing.

Let us continue, then, to walk forward with confidence.  Let us trust the One who has called us. Let us rejoice in the gift of faith that fills our hearts with unshakeable hope.  And with voices strong and grateful, let us proclaim with our lives and our lips:

Alleluia! God is with us. God is faithful. God is at work among us still.

With gratitude for each of you and the witness you give each day, I wish you a Happy Easter!

Sister Barbara McMullen CDP, Congregational Leader

April Eco-Challenge

Please reflect on the following quotes from a text from Sadlier Religion BLOC, following an interview with Cardinal Parolin on the Climate Conference 2025 in Brazil.  We will then put these words into an action across the Congregation.

“Our call to care for creation is unceasing, and we as disciples should look for opportunities that will help us recommit our efforts to taking better care of our earth and all the people who live on it.”

April 22 is Earth Day. 

The celebration of Earth Day gives Catholics the opportunity to converse in our community about our responsibility to care for God’s creation.  Our call to care for creation is relentless, and we as disciples can use Earth Day to recommit our efforts to better care for our planet and all the people who live on it.

CDP Action

To live out of our Directional Statement “to care for all creation” and to be disciples, let us plant something:  a flower, a vegetable, a small tree sapling to give witness to our hope and care for creation.  You may be able to do this in large community settings, or even in small convents and apartments.  In order to share our actions across the Congregation, we are asking you to take a photo of your planting and send it to: bmcmullen@cdpsisters.org

We hope to share these photos on our CDP congregational website, Facebook page, and in Global Connections. 

Prayer

Provident God, be with us as we heed the call to care for creation unceasingly.  Help us to be witnesses of our care to others and bring hope and healing to our environment.  We pray this in the name of our Blessed Trinity, Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.  Amen.

" Our eyes and hearts must be reverted to our Redeemer, who is, even now, leading us into his eternal life.

Let us not take our eyes off him!" 

• Chery Ann smith, 'Living with Christ' -

image: Church Window Stained Glass - Free photo on Pixabay

Palm Sunday (March 29)

“…The mystery of God’s purpose was made known to us, the hidden plan so kindly made in Christ from the beginning, to act upon when the times had run their course to the end; that everything should be brought together under Christ as head, everything in the heavens and everything on earth.  And it is in him that we were claimed as God’s own, chosen from the beginning, under the predetermined plan of the one who freely decides all things and guides them, chosen to be, for the greater glory of the divinity, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came…”                                                    (Ephesians 1: 3-14)

Matthew 21:1-11 (Gospel at Procession: The Messiah enter Jerusalem)

Isaiah 50:4-7: (The third Song of the Servant)

Philippians 2:6-11: (Preserve unity in humility)

Matthew 26:14 - 27:66: (The Last Supper, Passion and Death)

1. The crowds welcomed, “Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth of Galilee” singing Hosanna to the Son of David… Yet Jesus already knew, as he had told his disciples, that he was entering Jerusalem to fulfill the “mystery of God’s purpose.”  Can we seek God’s grace to open our hearts and minds to accept “the hidden plan so kindly made in Christ from the beginning?  As we pray this week, let’s ponder this?
2. Who are the weary to whom we offer God’s words at this time in our history? Are we open to whatever happens in our future, because we have been “claimed as God’s own”?
3. Can we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, who “emptied himself”? Can we be obedient to God’s plan, the one “who freely decides all things”?  Can we, as one with all believers, “confess that Jesus Christ is Lord?”
4. Imagine the level of trust and the tremendous grace of God who strengthened Jesus through his fears and passion! Can we trust so deeply that God is giving us grace to trust as we become “the people who put their hopes in Christ?”

Provident God, give us a sense of your Presence on our Holy Adventure together.

Strengthen our trust in your providential love and care

as we explore new paths for the future before us.

Open us to see possibilities, give us the courage to embrace them,

and to enter into this Congregational Chapter

ready to embark on a Holy Adventure with You.  Amen

Sr. Barbara McMullen

image: World Water Day - Background | United Nations

World Water Day, held on 22 March every year since 1993, is an annual United Nations Observance. UN-Water, the UN’s inter-agency coordination mechanism on water and sanitation, sets the theme and coordinates a Task Force which develops the global campaign.

Background

 What is World Water Day?

World Water Day celebrates water and inspires action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

Why is this year’s focus on water and gender equality?

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by water-related challenges due to entrenched gender roles, inadequate infrastructure, underrepresentation, limited funding, restrictive social norms and systemic inequalities.

The 2026 World Water Day campaign calls for a transformative, rights-based approach where women have equal voice, leadership, and opportunities in water decision-making – making water a force for a healthier, more prosperous, gender-equal future that will benefit us all. (Download the Factsheet to learn more.)

Why do we need to take action on water?

Access to safe water is a human right, yet 2.1 billion people still live without safely managed drinking water services, with devastating impacts for their lives and wider society.

A well-managed water cycle underpins the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and is essential for action on climate change.

What is the UN doing to accelerate progress?

The UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation is a commitment by the UN and our partners to unify and maximize support – technical and financial – to help countries make faster and greater progress.

The Strategy’s Collaborative Implementation Plan sets out how UN entities and partners will work together to achieve more rapid and impactful results.

What happens on World Water Day?

In the lead-up to 22 March, people and organizations host World Water Day events and promote the theme through communications, advocacy and social media.

The UN World Water Development Report is released, focusing on the same topic as the campaign and recommending policy direction to decision makers.

The campaign – #WorldWaterDay – reaches a global online audience of billions and engages thousands of people in conversation and debate, raising awareness and informing decision-making across the world.